1 | 2

Halo around the sun

  

The librarian’s face is a lagoon.

My hesitation sends

a wave across the water.

How long will you stay? she asks.

When did you arrive?

 

*

It is three days since my ei

proclaimed me as a visitor,

creamy flowers scenting me

 

with breaths of homecoming.

At night, not willing to let it perish

I placed my garland in the refrigerator

 

with mangoes, avocados,

a starfruit. Next morning the chill

was a balm to my skin

 

but the decay had gone too far

to wear. I carried the fragrance

to a tree with an unknown name.

 

Wreathed in shade, I tore the ei

into potpourri, dropped the pieces

into a ready pair of clam shells.

 

Stayed to watch until a centipede

rowed across the petals

with his hundred-and-seven legs.

 

 

Contents | Previous Author | Next Author | About this Author | About the process